The Delta independent., 1887-06-21
THE GERMAN ARMY IN SOCIETY.

by tho Commanders OF tho prussian
Soldiern.
An American who has just come back
from Germany treated several of us the
other evening to avery interesting mon
ologue on the German army in German
society. When late in the sixteenth
century Europe began to awake from
feudalism she did SO very slowly, and
almost rcgretfully. Some of the worst
features of the feudal regime remained.
and remain even to this day. They
may present themselves under a new
aspect, assume guise less shocking to
the modern eye, but they are essentially
the same as they were four or five hun
dred years ago In Prussia the com
mon soldier gets for three years SER
vice his board. which is. to express it
mildly, very plain and frugal. Besides.
he gets remuneration of 20 ptennig
IS cents per day. A young Lieutenant
after graduating at five or six classic,
polytechnic, and military schools. is en-
titled to a salary of $50 marks. or S37,
a month. He is expected to provide for
his uniform, and. if he is cavalry Of
| ficer, for his horse and servant He
has little expense in procuring SER
want. for any common soldier thinks
himself happy to get Il aposition as IN
officers servant, with So or 81 month.
A lieutenant from about 25 to 90 years
old can not expect to be raised to the
next highest rank, which is that of cap
tain. before attaining at least his thir-
ty-sixth year. Besides. it is always
morally certain that every young otlic-
er has to spend four or five years in an
out-of-the-way Carr son in some pro-
vincial town. Nevertheless, it is fact,
proved by statistics (the favorite sci
ence of B smarck). that the number of
| young men desirous to become officers
in the army increases steadily year af-
ter year.
Now, how is this to be accounted forp
Only one reason can be given for it.
but that is ample. Every young man
who enters the army as candidate for the
citizenship. in so doing joins himself to
the aristocracy of the land His uni
form opens to him the way to the high
est circles of society. At all court
festivals he is introduced into the pres
ence of the king or kaiser. as the case
may be. He is invited to all the great
banquets. for which. however. he
is obliged to pay his share. Thus it
often happens that our lieutenant dimes
on several courses of airy but very ex-
pensve dishes, and after feasting on
trufiles and champagne goes to a cheap
restaurant to quiet the cravings of his
stomach with leberwurst and saurkrout.
Every German officer. from the beard.
less lieutenant still in the habit of
chewing candy TO the grutf-voiccd ma
jor, hopes to make his fortune by
marrying the daughter of rich parvenu.
And it is n fact that nine out of every
ten do succeed. There is no shorter,
surer. and, as far as the young marri-
ageable maiden is concerned. no more
agreeable way of becoming part of th.
elite than the marriage with an Officer.
young one if possible, but even an
old one rather than none at all. Tho
art of filtration is an accomplishment
deemed absolutely Indispensable in ev-
cry officer. Flirting is the young lieu
tenants second nature He fiirts in
the salon, in the theater. on the prom
enade. Only ducling is his great pas.
sion. By the rules of of the corps he
is obliged to accept any challenge COM
ing from persons not below him in
social standing. Tho favorite duel of
officers is the combat of swords. so
called after the long and broad swords
used. In this duel the fighting par
ties are half -naked-i e., the upper
half of their bodies is exposed. If an
officer is caught dueling he is arrested
and nominally sentenced. But he nev-
or thinks of taking this seriously. If
he refuses to accept n challenge his fell
low-officers compel him to leave tho
army.
1t is treat to watch young len
tenant while he is drilling his men. He
has four or five corporals to assist him.
His chief occupation is to stand mo.
tionless but in threatening attitudes in
the midst OF the new soldiers. He very
seldom says anything-that would be
directly sacrificing his dignity. When
ever some unlucky recruit or other tries
to rouse himself to a due appreciation
of the glories of the soldiers life. and
the corporal uses livelier language than
usual. our lieutenant frowns. 1t is sell
dom, very seldom. that more is needed
to set all things right in second But
even If after the frown the refractory
soldier continues "thick -headed," the
lieutenant takes step toward him.
That is enough. Thus far no case is
known where this extreme measure OF
discipline had not an immediate effect
The recruits are for the most part coun-
try people, good and honest, but stu
pid. They look upon the officer as
superior being. 1t never comes to
their minds that he is made of the same
clay as they themselves. The laws
against insubordination are truly Dra-
conian. The other day young, intel.